NAGA Guqin Classes 2008

Introduction to the Guqin (group lessons)

It's time once again for NAGA's annual series of guqin classes. The number of places is limited, please register now!

Time: Spring of 2008, Saturdays 1:00pm to 4:00pm. These times may change, and are subject to confirmation.

Venue: Union City, CA. Address to be announced after registration.

Size: Class size is very small – 4-6 people for a beginner-friendly group.

Prerequisites: All you need is a passion for the guqin and Chinese culture. There are no requirements for language, age, or musical background.

Class Summary: This series of hands-on classes will provide systematic coverage of guqin playing and performance techniques, as well as guqin history, tradition, theory, handbooks, repertory and a lot more. At the end of the course you will able to play grade 4 to 5 pieces, sing famous Chinese poems while playing, and gain a broader appreciation of Chinese culture. You will also learn how to appraise the guqin music you hear, how to observe a player's posture and hand gestures, and how to recognize different styles. It will also give you an opportunity to experience other aspects of Chinese culture and tradition: philosophy, religion, opera, literature, poetry, calligraphy, painting, tea, food etc. Classes will also be interactive, consisting of lectures, audiovisual sessions, demonstrations, seminars and discussions.

Instructor: Classes will be led by NAGA Director and China Guqin Committee Council member Wang Fei. Wang Fei had a professional training in literature, music and art since childhood and studied with several important masters in these fields. She has won several awards for Chinese music, toured internationally and given speeches, lectures, workshops and seminars on the guqin at many prestigious universities including UC Berkeley, UCLA and the Central Conservatory of Music. She has also given presentations on Chinese culture to many Fortune 500 companies. Not only is she one of the few scholars to have truly mastered the qin and who can bring qin music to a wider audience, she is also one of the few qin performers who still maintains the traditional practice of the qin as a scholarly art. You will learn a very traditional, elegant, graceful and peaceful style from her which will give you a feeling of reading poems and viewing Chinese landscape paintings when listening to and playing the guqin.

Instruments: Instruments can be either rented for the full 10 weeks duration of the course or purchased from the teacher. Good qins will be provided for use during the classes. Students do not need to bring their own instruments.

Fee: $660 for 10 weekly sessions, total 30 hours.

Who will study: These classes are open to anyone who is interested in the guqin and would like to know more about it. The group size will be small but with diverse backgrounds. You will meet interesting people and learn from each other.

Registration and payment: Please register online by filling in the registration form at http://www.chineseculture.net/guqin/newsletters/guqinregisterform_1.doc.  

You can either pay online(check out button above)or send a check with the completed form. The address is on the form.

Similar classes are also available for the guzheng. For details of any of these classes and to enroll, please email info@guqin.org or call 1- 866-841-9139 ext. 1555.